Introduction
Die cast presses use hydraulic systems to force molten metal into a die to form intricately shaped parts that
require little final machining for engine components, transmissions and other parts. Control over the injection
process is often managed by a PLC.
Problem
To achieve fully formed parts of the proper density with minimum porosity, controlling the speed, volume and
pressure during the injection process is critical. Conventional PLC’s often lack adequate response times to maintain the tight control required during this process.
Solution
A system has been designed that incorporates an ADwin-Gold real-time data acquisition and control system
to monitor and control the various parameters during the shot injection. The ADwin system is easily
interfaced to a Visual Basic application that provides the MMI for set-up and monitoring. All of the real-time
control is done using the on-board analog and digital I/O of the ADwin in real-time.
Benefits
The use of the ADwin system provides the most accurate, real-time control of the shot injection. The ADwin system can be easily customized to provide special functionality. Using a Windows-based PC for the MMI
has simplified connection to the factory network for monitoring, recipe management and process feedback.
Equipment Used
This list gives a typical example of a 16-channel system with 12-bit resolution for data acquisition:
- ADwin-Gold - Real-time, data acquisition and control system
- Visual Basic - Provides user interface to configure injection shot, view real-time data and store data
- Sensors - Various sensors to monitor the pressure, force, speed and displacement during the shot
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